


Chloe Bourgeois: Girlfriend Extraordinaire

by not_today (708234)



Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste is a Good Friend, Alya Césaire Ships It, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Chloe is having an emotional crisis, Chloé Bourgeois Not Being a Jerk, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Comedy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil Lila Rossi, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Getting Together, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Hijinks & Shenanigans, I'm Sorry, Insecurity, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Lila Rossi Bashing, Matchmakers Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Matchmaking, Miraculous Team, Misunderstandings, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, POV Chloé Bourgeois, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Supportive Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Supportive Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23637406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/708234/pseuds/not_today
Summary: But as much as Chloe liked her friends, there were two things that still bothered her. For one thing, they wouldn’t stop bothering her about the whole Luka thing. Sure, she had a little crush on the guy. But she never intended to act on it. So four people constantly coming up with insane schemes to get them together was not helping. The other issue was that the four of them had paired up into disgustingly sweet couples. They weren’t too bad on the PDA, but they were always holding hands or flirting. Chloe was losing her mind.Of course, that didn’t mean they needed to show Luka that she was the “perfect girlfriend”, as Nino had suggested. Honestly, how had she ever thought he was good at matchmaking?--In which Chloe is exasperated, Luka is confused, and the rest of the Miraculous Squad are trying to prove that Chloe would be an extraordinary girlfriend.Sequel to Alya Cesaire: Investigator Extraordinaire and conclusion to the Miraculous Extraordinares Series.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Luka Couffaine
Series: The Miraculous Extraordinares [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666168
Comments: 38
Kudos: 305





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! The promised Luka/Chloe fic. I know it took forever for me to start it, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> For texting at the beginning (contact names change):
> 
> Cool Cat - Adrien  
> Spotted Lady - Marinette  
> Ladyblogger - Alya  
> Turtle Boy - Nino  
> The Queen -Chloe

**_Group Chat: The Superheroes Paris Didn't Know They Needed_ **

**Cool Cat** _ hey guys I gotta tell u somethin _

**Spotted Lady** _ Does it have to do with how uncool that contact name is? _

**Turtle Boy** _ lmao _

**Cool Cat** _ you wound me M'lady _

**Spotted Lady** _ Love you kitty ;) _

**Cool Cat** _ <3 _

**The Queen** _Ew_

**The Queen** _ Didn't you have something to say Adrien? _

**Cool Cat** _ oh rite _

**Cool Cat** _ i can't make movie night this week _

**Turtle Boy** _ booo _

**The Queen** _ The horror _

**Ladyblogger** _ THE BETRAYAL _

**Turtle Boy** _ alya's alive!!! _

**Ladyblogger** _Of_ _ c I am babe<3  _

**Turtle Boy** _ aww, see we're cuter than the superhero dream team <3 _

**Spotted Lady** _ Idk, I think my kitty and I are def cuter _

**Cool Cat** _ agreed princess, we have cute nicknames! _

**The Queen** _ … _

**The Queen** _ Again, EWW _

**Cool Cat** _ love you Chlo _

**Ladyblogger** _ Don't sweat it Adrien, we'll just postpone movie nigyt _

**Cool Cat** _ nigyt _

**Spotted Lady** _ nigyt _

**Turtle Boy** _ nigyt _

**Ladyblogger** _ ANYWAY _

**Ladyblogger** _ I've been thinking _

**The Queen** _ Don't strain yourself  _

**Ladyblogger** _ :( _

**Ladyblogger** _ I've been thinking that Chloe has been the only single one in the group for FAR TOO LONG. All in agreement say aye. _

**The Queen** _ I'm doing just fine as the single friend, thank you very much _

**Spotted Lady** _ Aye! _

**Cool Cat** _ aye! _

**Turtle Boy** _ eye _

**Ladyblogger** _ ...Nino? _

**Cool Cat** _ you had one job _

**The Queen** _ Or maybe he's being a good friend and not supporting your ridiculous claim. _

**Turtle Boy** _ *aya _

**Turtle Boy** _ *ayy _

**Turtle Boy** _ *AYE _

**Cool Cat** _ lol you good dude _

**The Queen** _ Wow Nino _

**The Queen** _ Betrayed by my own smoothie buddy _

**Turtle Boy** _ srry dudette but they've got a point _

**The Queen** _has changed_ **Turtle Boy** _to_ **Traitor.**

**Traitor** _ would smoothies after school cheer you up? _

**The Queen** _...maybe _

**Traitor** _ gr8 somebody invite Luka _

**The Queen** _has left the group chat._

**Ladyblogger** _ Danggg _

**Spotted Lady** _ Nice one Nino _

**Cool Cat** _ yeah wut happened to being nice to ppl _

**Traitor** _ but why r u 2 such parents tho _

**Ladyblogger** _ Ha _

**Traitor** _has changed_ **Cool Cat** _to_ **Dad.**

**Ladyblogger** _ has changed  _ **Spotted Lady** _ to  _ **Mom.**

**Mom** _ Real mature guys _

**Ladyblogger** _ sorry mom _

**Traitor** _ srry mom _

**Dad** _ kids stop disrespecting your mother _

**Traitor** _ lol I pity your future kiddos _

**Mom** _ Really Chat? _

**Traitor** _ hold up a sec I'll fix it _

**Ladyblogger** _ Fix what??? _

**Traitor** _ has added  _ **Chloe Bourgeois** _ to the group chat. _

**Traitor** _ has changed  _ **Chloe Bourgeois** _ to  _ **Our Queen.**

**Our Queen** _ Why am I back here? _

**Traitor** _ has changed the group chat name to  _ **_We Are All Sorry (But Mostly Alya)._ **

**Our Queen** _uhhh_

**Ladyblogger** _ Wait hold up why am I most sorry? _

**Traitor** _ srry babe but you brought the luka thing up _

**Dad** _ tru _

**Mom** _ He's kinda right _

**Ladyblogger** _ Betrayed by my own parents! _

**Our Queen** _ … _

**Our Queen** _ Yeah ok you guys are still insane _

**Our Queen** _ has left the group chat. _

**Traitor** _ welp I tried _

***

Chloe Bourgeois hated her friends.

Okay so maybe that was a lie. She didn't hate all of them completely. Dupain-Cheng wasn't half bad, especially since she was secretly Ladybug. She'd always been friends with Adrien. Alya had a kind of sass she could appreciate. And then there was Nino. She'd definitely appreciated his friendship in the beginning. But then she'd realize that deep down, Nino was a troublesome meddler who couldn't be trusted with a single secret. She didn't know why she'd told him about her crush. It had just...slipped out. And it would have been fine if he'd kept it to himself. But of course, he hadn't.

Okay fine, she really, really didn't hate them. Maybe she sort of liked them. Sometimes. Her life had gotten significantly better since she'd started hanging out with them. Before Nino and the whole matchmaking fiasco, Chloe would go to class, act superior, and then go home and be alone. Turns out that a fancy hotel room and all the dresses she could ever want are a poor substitute for human interaction. She'd really only approached Nino because she wanted Adrien to be happy, and she knew she couldn't do it on her own. And now she had a fun place to go every Friday night, and friends to hang out with after school. Although she'd never admit it, she'd wanted to try out the Dupain-Cheng's bakery forever, and now she finally had a reason to.

But as much as Chloe  ~~ loved ~~ liked her friends, there were two things that still bothered her. For one thing, they wouldn’t stop bothering her about the whole Luka thing. Sure, she had a little crush on the guy. But she never intended to act on it. So four people constantly coming up with insane schemes to get them together was  _ not helping _ . The other issue was that the four of them had paired up into disgustingly sweet couples. They weren’t too bad on the PDA, but they were always holding hands or flirting. Chloe was losing her mind.

Of course, that _didn’t_ mean they needed to show Luka that she was the “perfect girlfriend”, as Nino had suggested. Honestly, how had she ever thought he was good at matchmaking?

“Hey Chloe!”  _ Speak of the devil. _

“Unless you’re here to deliver an expensive smoothie, you can leave Lahiffe.”

Nino smiled and handed her a cup. It was her favorite type of smoothie. Huh. Chloe snatched it up and eyed him suspiciously.

Nino rolled his eyes. “Relax Your Highness, it’s not poisoned. It’s an apology.”

Choe took a few sips before responding. “For the group chat this morning?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a gesture that reminded her of Adrien. “Uh, sure?”

“Nino, what did you do?”

“Well, we might have...actually not _we_. It was one person. Not me. I’m not trying to blame them! It was a group idea. But you know-”

“Get to the point,” Chloe practically growled.

Nino winced. “Marinette invited Luka to the picnic this afternoon.”

Chloe blinked. “What did you say?” she asked, voice dangerously low. Because she couldn’t have heard him right. There was no way Dupain-Cheng invited  _ him  _ to her first ever picnic. The picnic that they had been planning for a week.  _ For just the five of them. _

“Hey guys!” Marinette’s cheery voice suddenly sounded as she walked down the hall towards them. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, any last words?” Chloe called back, face set angrily. Nino was stifling his laughter behind her. She’d deal with him later.

Marinette’s smile didn’t waver “Yeah. It’s time to prepare you to be the best girlfriend ever.”

Chloe stared at her contemplatively for a moment, and then her face morphed into a haughty smirk. Marinette finally looked a little nervous.

“I guess you’ll never see those pictures of Adrien then.” Marinette’s eyes widened and Chloe grinned triumphantly.

Nino’s eyes flicked between the two of them in confusion. “What?”

Chloe turned to him, looking pleased. “Oh, didn’t you know? Marinette and I have an...arrangement of sorts.”

“Chloe,” Marinette protested weakly.

“What arrangement?” another voice questioned loudly, making everyone in the hallway wince. It was a disturbed-looking Adrien, with an amused Alya in tow.

“Wonderful,” Marinette muttered. “Now the whole gang is here.”

“What is going on here?” Adrien demanded, eyebrows raised.

“Such a dad,” Alya and Nino said at the same time before turning to smile widely at each other.

“Aww, babe!”

“We’re so in sync!”

Chloe pretended to gag.

“Anyway,” she continued. “Marinette and I were just discussing a business deal.”

“Don’t buy the perfume!” Adrien blurted out suddenly. Three confused gazes landed on him, and Chloe glared.

“Adrien!” she hissed. “You promised you’d never bring that up!”

“Okay, what?!” Alya cried.

Marinette turned to Chloe, her expression earnest. “If you tell them, I’ll invite Luka to the next movie night!”

Chloe paused and Nino groaned. “What happened to no secrets?”

Chloe ignored him, considering Marinette’s words for a moment before sighing in defeat. “Fine. But no more inviting him unless you tell me first.”

“Deal.”

Adrien’s eyes were wide. “What did I just witness?”

“Marinette just made a deal with the devil,” Nino stage-whispered. Chloe definitely didn’t smack him for that.

“I invited Luka to the picnic today,” Marinette said, addressing the whole group.

Alya grinned wickedly. “Perfect! Well, what are we still doing at school then? Let’s go!”

The teens followed her out of the hallway and the front doors. They had planned to each go home to try and get some actual homework done (because they never got anything done when they were together), and then meet up at the part at 5:00pm. Marinette was bringing dessert (naturally), Chloe was bringing food, Alya had the drinks, Adrien was getting utensils and plates and Nino was bringing...himself.

Chloe’s limo was, predictably, waiting outside for her. She offered the rest of them a ride, but they declined. She waved goodbye before climbing into the car.

She had barely entered her room and flopped onto her bed when her phone buzzed.

**Traitor** _ has added  _ **Chloe Bourgeois** _ to the group chat. _

**Traitor** _ has changed  _ **Chloe Bourgeois’** _ name to  _ **The Perfect Girlfriend.**

Chloe rolled her eyes, fighting a smile.

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ This again? _

**Traitor** _ yep _

**Ladyblogger** _ Alright gang, we need to make a plan _

**Traitor** _ changed  _ **Ladyblogger** _ to  _ **Lady In Charge**

**Lady In Charge** _ Aww thx bby _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ *gags* _

**Traitor** _ rood _

**Dad** _ don’t be mean chlo _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _...that’s adrien right? _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ The dad thing makes sense now _

**Mom** _ Weren’t we planning something? _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ no _

**Lady In Charge** _ Right! _

**Lady In Charge** _ So, we have 2 choices. We can a) praise Chloe the whole time and make her seem like an amazing person or b) embarass her so badly she finally blushes _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ Or c) leave poor Chloe alone _

**Mom** _ B _

**Dad** _ yeah b _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ I hate you all _

**Traitor** _ uhh c for me _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ Yes! Thank you Nino! _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ changed  _ **Traitor** _ to  _ **Chloe’s Bestie**

**Chloe’s Bestie** _ lol jk I’m going with choice b too _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ … _

**The Perfect Girlfriend** _ Et tu, Brute? _

**Dad** _ ha _

**Dad** _ changed  _ **Chloe’s Bestie** _ to  _ **Brutus**

**Dad** _ changed  _ **The Perfect Girlfriend** _ to  _ **Julius Caesar**

**Brutus** _ wait who’s Brutus _

**Julius Caesar** _ Idiot _

**Lady In Charge** _ Nino we did a whole unit on Julius Caesar. And a project. _

**Brutus** _ I forgot _

**Dad** _ it was like?? Two month ago??? _

**Mom** _ Guys can you stop texting this chat? I’m trying to study. _

**Brutus** _ oops _

**Brutus** _ sorry _

**Brutus** _ mom _

**Julius Caesar** _ Are we _

**Julius Caesar** _ bothering _

**Julius Caesar** _ you? _

**Dad** _ S _

**Dad** _ O _

**Dad** _ R _

**Dad** _ R _

**Dad** _ Y _

**Lady in Charge** _ you guys are jerks  _

**Mom** _ has muted the group chat. _

**Lady in Charge** _ oof I should study too _

**Dad** _ yea same _

**Brutus** _ see you guys tonight _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picnics, food throwing and awkward crushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter took forever, but I hope you enjoy!

Chloe Bourgeois had a plan. She was going to go to the picnic and she was going to have a great time. She wasn’t going to make a fool of herself. She was not going to blush, or stutter, or do anything vaguely Marinette-ish. She was going to be witty and chill and effortlessly cool.

Things didn’t exactly work out that way.

She was almost to the picnic blanket, pointedly avoiding a certain head of blue hair, when Luka had turned around and shot her a dazzling smile that should  _ definitely  _ be labeled as a hazard. Why? Because when Luka sent her that terrifyingly disarming style, Chloe had suddenly tripped over a liter of soda some  _ idiot _ had chosen to put right in her path. It was quite possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life.

And then, of course, because he had no decency, Nino had started laughing so hard he fell backwards. On his butt. On top of the croissants Marinette had just set down. Adrien had promptly lost it.

“Nino how could you?! Do you have any idea what those mean to me? Those croissants were my motivation, my reason for living!” (He wasn’t really exaggerating.)

Alya grinned. “Stop! You made me squish my croissant!” A Vine reference. Of course.

And the whole time, Luka just watched them, an amused smile on his face. Yeah, Chloe really, really hated her chaotic friends.

When Marinette had finally calmed her boyfriend down by pulling out a bag of spare croissants (she really was the mom friend) and Nino had finally stopped laughing they all sat down on the blanket. Nino kept sending her apologetic glances, which she purposefully ignored. Luckily, nobody brought up the whole tripping thing.

“Hello Chloe,” Luka greeted kindly in his smooth, low voice. Chloe wouldn’t blush. She  _ wouldn’t _ . Judging by Adrien’s smirk, she failed.

“Luka,” she replied coolly, face impassive. Luka’s smile faltered a bit, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Not when Marinette was handing her a plate and encouraging her to fill it up.

“So Chloe,” Alya began, stealing a strawberry from Nino’s plate.  _ Why did she even get a plate if she was just going to eat off her boyfriend’s? Ugh, couples.  _ ‘We were just talking about the perfume thing Adrien mentioned earlier today. He seemed pretty traumatized.”

Chloe nearly dropped her plate in alarm before schooling her features. She shot a not-so-subtle glance in Luka’s direction. “I don’t think that’s something we need to discuss right now.”

Nino grinned wickedly. “Oh, I think it definitely is.” Chloe glared at him.  _ No more smoothies for you Lahiffe. _

“Perfume?” Luka asked curiously. Adrien chuckled.

“I mean, if you really want to hear the story-”

“They don't,” Chloe interrupted quickly. “It’s not even that interesting.” She sent Adrien a pleading glance, but it was met with an infuriating Chat-like smirk. She turned her gaze on Marinette instead, hoping her Ladybug morals would save her. But Marinete just shrugged, grinned and grabbed a chip off Adrien’s plate. Again,  _ couples. _

“So as I was saying,” Adrien continued, unfazed. “It all started-”

“I don’t think anyone wants to hear this,” Chloe interrupted.

“-when we were thirteen. Chloe had a bit of a phase-”

“-Okay Adrien, really?”

“-where she was obsessed with beauty products like perfume.”

“I was not obsessed!”

Nino snorted. “Yeah, you still are.” Chloe threw a carrot at him, which he somehow managed to dodge. Of course, it ended up hitting Luka instead. He met her eye with a half amused, half confused expression, which  ~~ flustered ~~ annoyed Chloe so much that the sheepish smile she’d been trying to send him ended up as more of an awkward grimace.

“Anyway,” Adrien said, still telling the story for some reason. “It was a little after my first perfume ad, and Chloe insisted that she could make a better smelling perfume.”

Chloe glanced around the blanket and was dismayed to find that everyone was listening intently to Adrien’s words. Stupid model and his stupid captivating story skills.

“I told Chlo that if she managed to create a perfume, I’d wear it for an evening. And then I totally forgot about it. But a couple weeks later, when I was just about to head out for a pretty big fashion show, she came running into the mansion, brandishing a bottle of...well...stuff.”

Chloe scowled at his tone, dropping her gaze to the ground to avoid her friends’ amused glances. She couldn’t help but notice that even as he told the story, Adrien’s hand was holding Marinette’s tightly. She looked over to Alya and Nino and, sure enough, they were also holding hands.  _ Gross.  _ Her gaze subconsciously drifted over to Luka’s vacant hand, but she quickly put a stop to that dangerous line of thought.

“The bottle was full of squished up flower petals and this orange-ish liquid, but she insisted that I let her spray it on me. I told her I had to go, but she was incredibly stubborn.”

Alya grinned. “Nice to know some things never change.” Chloe sacrificed her last chip for that, tossing it in Alya’s direction. It hit its mark this time. 

Adrien completely ignored them. “I finally agreed, hoping it wasn’t too potent. But then she sprayed it on me, and it was probably the worst thing I ever smelled! I mean, we’re talking ‘dead plants’ the fragrance.” Chloe pouted as her friends cackled.

“I had to go to the fashion show, and literally everyone was asking me what was going on with my perfume. They were trying to be polite, but it was clear they were horrified. Chloe came up to me afterwards and was trying to apologize-”

Marinette scoffed. “Chloe apologizing? That’s a sight I’d like to see.” Chloe was unfortunately out of food to throw, so she settled for a scowl.

“-when suddenly my father walked up.”

Nino’s eyes widened with interest. “Oh good, what did Papa Agreste say?”

“Well, he started out scolding me for ‘smelling like outside’ and ‘embarrassing the company’, and then Chloe steps in and tells him it was her new perfume. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so conflicted. It was either insult her perfume or keep his connection with the mayor.”

Everyone was grinning at this point. Even Luka, although he looked a bit overwhelmed.

“So obviously father chooses to be nice to Chloe, but it clearly pains him. He goes ‘It’s nice to see you trying out new passions Mme. Bourgeois. Keep up the good work.’ And then he completely flees, looking absolutely disturbed. It was fantastic.”

Chloe couldn’t stay angry as her friends laughed and Adrien smiled widely. She supposed the part with Adrien’s father had been sort of amusing.

“So you guys have known each other for a while?” Luka asked after the laughter had died down.

Adrien beamed. “Yup! We’ve been friends since we were toddlers.”

Luka nodded. “That’s cool. You all seem really close. I’m sorry if I’m invading on your time together.”

His words were met with a flurry of protests as everyone assured him that they was glad he was there. Chloe couldn’t help but disagree. Sure, it was alway great to see him, but she felt so awkward and useless when he was around.

“It’s not like I invited you, so clearly it doesn’t matter what I think,” she muttered quietly. Nino kicked her out of nowhere, and she looked up in surprise to find Luka frowning and her friends glaring at her. Okay so maybe she hadn’t been quiet enough.  _ Oops. _

“Of course, I’m happy you’re here!” she said, probably far too loud. Luka still didn’t look too convinced. Luckily Nino stepped in.

“Don’t worry dude, soon you’ll be a part of the group and you’ll know all our secrets.” His smile turned mischievous. “For example, Adrien and Marinette both have raging leather kinks.”

“We do not!” the couple cried at the same time, but based on Luka’s grin, the uncomfortable mood had been lifted. Chloe turned to smile gratefully, but Nino was already staring at her pointedly.

“Chloe and I are going to throw away some of this trash. Come on,” Nino announced in a way that left no room for disagreement. Chloe collected empty plates and chip bags reluctantly before following him. He bypassed the closest trash can, heading for the one clear across the park instead. So he wanted to talk. Fantastic.

She caught up to him and he frowned. “Choe, what’s going on?”

“What’re you talking about?” she asked innocently, ignoring his gaze.

Nino threw up a hand in exasperation, dropping three cups and plate, before scowling at her. Chloe rolled her eyes and bent down to grab the fallen trash.  _ And they called her the dramatic one. _

“I mean with Luka! Marinette invited him here so you two could have some time to chat. But you’ve been nothing but rude to him since you arrived!”

Chloe started walking towards the trash can, not waiting to see if he was following her before speaking. “Well maybe it’s not as easy for me as it is for you! Marinette had a stuttering problem, I have this. I get all flustered and then end up being accidentally rude!”

Nino let out a short laugh, and Chloe turned to find that his irritated look had been replaced with amusement. “So all it takes is one pretty boy, and the calm and composed Chloe Bourgeois is reduced to a flustered mess who can’t deal with her emotions?” he teased.

Chloe rolled her eyes again, trying to keep him from realising how accurate he actually was. Nino shook his head in disbelief and she knew he had her figured out. “Okay fine, yes! I know it’s pathetic, but that’s why I told you all this was a bad idea.”

They finally reached the trash can, and Chloe began emptying her arms, Nino close behind. 

“Relax dudette,” Nino finally said. “Don’t stress, we’ll help you out. Just, uh, pretend he’s me or Adrien.”

Chloe snorted. “I can’t do that. I don’t think Luka wants another piece of food thrown at him.”

Nino grinned. “Look, you just gotta get comfortable with him. Marinette was crazy around Adrien until she found out he was also Chat Noir, someone she was already friends with. You just need to focus on being friends with Luka first.”

“When did you get so wise?”

“What are you talking about? I’ve always been a genius.” Nino winked, and Chloe giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Alya asked suddenly. Chloe hadn’t realized they’d gotten so close to the picnic blanket.

“The fact that Adrien is the model only because everyone is sleeping on my blatant attractiveness,” Nino lied smoothly, grabbing a soda and plopping down beside his girlfriend.

Adrien grinned. “In your dreams, Lahiffe.”

“No, in yours Agreste,” Nino said, winking. “Just imagine. Radiant. Carefree. Dreamy. Nino,  _ the fragrance.” _

Everyone laughed, and Chloe purposefully smiled at Luka. He seemed surprised, but after a moment he smiled back tentatively. Progress.

The end of the evening went drastically better than the first half. The six of them joked and told stories, and Chloe managed to be a normal human being around her crush. For the most part. Before she knew it, the sun was setting, and Marinette was saying something about needing to get home soon. Chloe knew it wasn’t true, Adrien and Marinette had planned their weekly superhero patrol right after the picnic. But it was getting late. They started packing up the food and cleaning up the rest of the trash.

“Luka, it was great to hang out with you!” Adrien said after they were finished. 

Marinette nodded. “Yeah, for sure. Hey, we should all make a group chat.”

Nino agreed eagerly. “Right, that way everyone has your number.” He grinned at Chloe as Luka entered his number into Nino’s phone. “Alright, I’ll make the chat.”

With that, they said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways. Chloe climbed into the limousine that was waiting for her as her phone buzzed a few times.

**Nino Lahiffe** _has created_ ** _Group Chat: A Bunch of Weirdos + Luka_**

**Nino Lahiffe** _ has added  _ **Alya Cesaire, Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Chloe Bourgeois,** _ and _ **Luka Couffaine.**

**Nino Lahiffe** _ has changed  _ **Chloe Bourgeois** _ to  _ **The Perfume Genius**

**Nino Lahiffe** _ perfect _

**The Perfume Genius** _ Have I told you how much I hate you yet? _

**Nino Lahiffe** _ not today _

**The Perfume Genius** _ has changed  _ **Nino Lahiffe** _ to  _ **Wannabe Model**

**Luka Couffaine** _ Haha hey guys! _

**Alya Cesaire** _ hey! _

**Marinette Dupain-Cheng** _ Goodnight guys! _

**Adrien Agreste** _ yea gn _

**Wannabe Model** _ hmmm _

**Alya Cesaire** _Adrien and Mari going to sleep at the same time…_

**Wannabe Model** _ interesting _

**Luka Couffaine** _...I’m not sure I want to think about that _

**The Perfume Genius** _ Yeah me neither. Ew _

**Alya Cesaire** _ gn all _

**Wannabe Model** _ yeah goodnidwuqdhu _

**The Perfume Genius** _ umm _

**Luka Couffaine** _ …  _

**Luka Couffaine** _ Goodnight Chloe _

**The Perfume Genius** _ Goodnight _

**_Group Chat: We Are All Sorry (But Mostly Alya)_ **

**Brutus** _ first mission accomplished _

**Brutus** _ onto phase two _

**Julius Caesar** _ I’m scared _

**Lady in Charge** _ you should be _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments appreciated! Stay safe! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangouts with Luka and a major mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been FOREVER since I last updated, and I really have no excuse. Sorry! Enjoy the chapter! I'm thinking maybe 2 more chapters for this fic, which will hopefully be out soon.

"So…how have you been lately?" Luka asked awkwardly.

"Fine," Chloe responded, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Um right. Me too."

Chloe dropped her gaze to her phone and tried not to growl in frustration. When her friends had said they had more plans, she hadn't thought they meant this.

One of them had suggested Luka join them for lunch at one of their favorite places, but so far only Chloe and Luka had showed up. Chloe knew better to think it was just a coincidence. She was going to kill each one of them. Slowly. Painfully.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, and she quickly checked it as multiple texts came through from the group chat with Luka.

**_Group Chat: A Bunch of Weirdos + Luka_ **

**Wannabe Model** _hey guys srry but medeliev needed the 4 of us to stay behind to finish a lab_

 **Marinette Dupain-Cheng** _Yeah sorry!_

 **Adrien Agreste** _you guys can go ahead and start. We probably won't be there any time soon_

Chloe grit her teeth as she put the phone down and met Luka's gaze.

"Well," he said, smiling softly. "I guess it's just the two of us."

"Fantastic," Chloe muttered. It had been _just the two of them_ for the last five minutes and it was already awkward.

"Uh, yeah. So, when did you start hanging out with the other four?"

Chloe took a sip of her drink, trying to decide how much to tell him. "Well, interestingly enough it all started because Lahiffe and I were trying to get Adrien and Marinette together…"

***

The lunch hadn't been awful. Alright, it had been amazing. The conversation had flowed much more freely than before, although it was sometimes stilted when Chloe said something that could be considered rude. She was getting better at talking to him, but she was starting to feel like it was too late. Even though Luka was a chill, not easily bothered guy, he was starting to seem a little put off by her accidental behavior. 

And then of course, there was always the fear that he only saw her as a friend, or, as she liked to put it, he had the Agreste Syndrome. Luka's kind smiles and patience were something he gave to everyone, and they didn't make her special. His mysterious nature was one of the things that attracted her to him, but it also made it incredibly difficult to know what he was thinking. He could be somewhat interested in her, but he could also totally hate her and only be putting up with her to appease her friends.

Okay so maybe she was being a little dramatic. Her friends had rubbed off on her.

Chloe sighed, flopping down on her bed. She had piles of homework to do, but she'd much rather dwell on Luka. He had started talking about his music career at lunch, and the passion in his eyes had sparked something inside of her. The way those blue eyes had lit up as his lips curved into a soft smile, and how he'd looked right into her eyes, almost as if he could see through her…

_RING!!!_

Chloe started at the sound, before calming down and snatching up her ringing phone. It was Nino, of course. She should ignore him. He definitely deserved it after disappearing on her at lunch today.

Chloe debated for a moment before finally giving in and answering the call.

"What?" she demanded dryly.

_"Chloe! So glad you didn't ignore my call."_

"I was going to. I can still hang up. Maybe I will-"

_"No, don't! This is important."_

"Then you'd better start talking."

_"Okay, okay, geez. We were wondering if you wanted to join us for smoothies at that place you like tomorrow after school."_

Chloe rolled her eyes. How dumb did they think she was? 

"Really, Nino?"

_"Yeah! The others haven't tried that awesome drink yet and I-"_

"Lahiffe I'm not an idiot. I know this is just another one of your schemes. You're going to invite Luka, and then ditch us. Again." She didn't bother to hide the irritation in her voice.

The other line was silent for a moment, and then Chloe heard another voice that sounded suspiciously like Alya hiss, _"I told you! She's not going to fall for the same thing twice!"_

Chloe was starting to find the whole thing rather amusing, which was better than being angry. "Look guys, I'm pretty sure that me being alone with Luka is more of a blessing than a curse. Why don't we just do the smoothie thing and invite him, but you all actually show up?"

 _"Really? You'd be up for that?"_ Nino sounded slightly shocked. 

"Sure," Chloe replied, grinned mischievously as a thought came to her mind. "I'll put the order in beforehand so it's ready when we get there."

_"That's...that's great! So, you're not mad about earlier today?"_

Chloe rolled her eyes again. "Clearly I can't stay mad enough."

_"Ok, good. Alright, Alya's yelling at me. I'm supposed to be helping her sort through akuma footage. Talk to you later?"_

Chloe smirked. Based on experiences, she knew that helping Alya with the Ladyblog was a long lasting affair. Nino would probably be busy for the next few hours.

"Yeah ok. Good luck."

_"Thanks! Bye!"_

The call ended with a dull beep, and Chloe immediately pulled up the number of her favorite smoothie place to put in an order.

***

"One time, Marinette actually stole Adrien's phone!"

"Alya!" Marinette shrieked in embarrassment as the rest of the friends laughed. The six of them, now including Luka, were walking together to the smoothie place. Alya had decided that the best topic of conversation was the many ways Marinette had attempted to tell Adrien how she felt.

"You stole my phone?!" Adrien asked incredulously, glancing down at his blushing girlfriend. Many of the things that Alya had mentioned were clearly news to him. "When? And wait…why?"

Marinette groaned. "Does it matter?"

Alya grinned widely. "Of course it does, that's the best part!"

They reached the restaurant and Nino held open the door as they filed inside. One of the waiters led them to their seats. Once they were all seated, the man shot Nino a dirty look.

"Ah, I remember you. Juice box boy."

Nino offered the annoyed waiter a sheepish smile, and everyone but Chloe looked at him questioningly.

The waiter turned up his nose at Nino and addressed Chloe. "Your drinks will be out in a moment, Mademoiselle."

Chloe thanked him with a smirk as Marinette spoke to Nino.

"What was that about?"

Nino waved her off easily. "Nothing. Now Alya, I believe you were telling us why Nette here turned to a life of crime."

Marinette spluttered and Luka chuckled as Alya sat up straighter with a smile.

"Right, right! So it all started because Mari here thought it would be easier to confess over the phone. Adrien didn't answer, so she left a voicemail. But the voicemail was so awful, she decided she had to delete it before he heard it."

"What did the voicemail say?" Luka asked, a handsome grin on his face. Chloe had been wondering the same thing.

Alya beamed at the question. "Well I don't remember all the details, but I think it started with _Hey Hot Stuff_ and only went downhill from there…"

The conversation continued, and by the time the waiter returned with their drinks, both Marinette and Adrien were blushing and Chloe's stomach hurt from all her laughter. Luka hadn't said much, but Chloe found his quiet chuckle to be captivating.

"Alright," Chloe announced. "I got a drink I think you'd enjoy for each of you, but if you don't like it, just let me know and I'll order something else."

The others seemed pleased with this arrangement, and so Chloe directed the waiter to give each drink to the correct person. A strawberry smoothie for Marinette, orange for Adrien, mixed berry for Alya, blueberry for Luka, and for Nino...well…

"You have to be kidding me!" Nino exclaimed, staring at his drink in dismay.

Chloe smirked and took a sip from her gourmet drink. "What?" she asked, tilting her head innocently. "I thought you liked juice boxes."

Nino scowled as their friends laughed, all of them but Chloe still somewhat confused. "This is just rude."

"Relax Lahiffe," Chloe said, grinning. "If you're a good kid and finish your juice box I'll get you a grown-up smoothie."

Nino didn't seem happy as he pulled off the tiny plastic straw and stabbed it into the little box with far more force than what was necessary.

"So Alya," Adrien began after everyone had expressed their satisfaction with their individual drinks. "Got any more crazy stories about Mari to share?"

Marinette's smile dissolved into a scowl and she smacked her boyfriend. If Adrien's wince was anything to go by, she hadn't held back any of her Ladybug strength. Alya started to say something, but Marinette swiftly cut her off.

"Careful what you say, Al. I'm sure everyone here would love to know what you and Nino are up to during those 'Super Penguino' sessions." Marinette's voice was steady, but dangerously low.

Alya winced and shot Nino a look as the others grinned.

Luka shook his head, smiling. "Who knew the five of you were so devious?"

Chloe snorted. "You don't know the half of it."

***

They ended up staying at the place for over an hour, and before they left they made plans to all meet up again, this time at the movie night planned for Friday. It was at Chloe's place this week, and Nino had been quick to invite Luka, probably to get her back for the whole juice box thing.

Chloe sighed as she abandoned her Physics homework in favor of scrolling through her social media feed. She knew she could bribe Adrien into helping her with the assignment later.

A notification from one of her group chats popped up, and Chloe switched over to her messaging app as her friends started texting.

**_Group Chat: We Are All Sorry (But Mostly Alya)_ **

**Brutus** _has changed the group Chat name to_ **_Operation: Perfect Girlfriend_ **

**Brutus** _well I'd say today was a success_

 **Mom** _Definitely! You did great Chloe_

 **Dad** _has changed_ **Brutus** _to_ **Juice Box Kid**

 **Dad** _nino, we will figure out what the juice box thing is about_

 **Juice Box Kid** _never_

 **Julius Caesar** _Thanks guys. I'm just glad you didn't ditch us again_

 **Lady In Charge** _has changed_ **Julius Caesar** _to_ **The Perfect Girlfriend**

 **Lady In Charge** _anytime girl! you ready for friday?_

Chloe groaned at the question. She was already dreading the movie night. What if he thought her pajamas were weird? What if she fell asleep and drooled? What if she laughed too loudly and unladylike?

Chloe sighed, switching over to her Instagram and snorting at a particularly bad fashion choice. Scrolling through random people's awful posts always made her feel better.

She clicked back into the group chat. She should just be honest with her friends.

 **The Perfume Genius** _Honestly? I'm not rlly looking forward to Friday. Like I love our movie nights, but having there Luka just kinda makes it awkward. You guys know how I feel about him being invited. I'd rather it just be the 5 of us, you know?_

Chloe hoped her friends wouldn't think she was being rude. She couldn't help it if she turned into a mess around her crush. Her phone buzzed several times, and she opened it to find private messages from Nino. Surprised, she opened them. 

**Turtle Boy** _uhhhh chloe_

 **Turtle Boy** _don't freak out_

 **Turtle Boy** _i don't think you meant to send that last message to that gc_

 **Turtle Boy** _right??_

Chloe paled at the implications. What had she done? Was her last message that bad? She was only trying to be honest.

Feeling nervous, she went to check her last text to the group, and froze when she saw which Chat she had sent it in.

**_Group Chat: A Bunch of Weirdos + Luka_ **

**The Perfume Genius** _Honestly? I'm not rlly looking forward to Friday. Like I love our movie night, but inviting Luka just kinda makes it awkward. You guys know how I feel about him being invited. I'd rather it just be the 5 of us, you know?_

She'd just sent it to the chat _with Luka._

Oops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe has a lot of...feelings, Adrien is finally a good friend, and Lila is awful (as usual).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up kids, this chapter is a rollercoaster of emotions. I wasn't planning on putting in this much angst, but oops. Enjoy! ;)

_ "Chloe, I know it's bad, but we're not using my kwami to steal Luka's phone." _

"Marinette Ladybug Dupain-Cheng. This is a CRISIS!" Chloe growled, pacing her room. "Imagine if it was Adrien!"

_ "I get it, I really do. But he's probably already read it. You'll just have to explain that you didn't mean it the way it sounds." _

"Yeah, like he's going to believe that! The only way he'd believe me is if I told him the truth!"

_ "Well then maybe you should-" _

"Absolutely not!"

Marinette sighed loudly on the other end of the phone.  _ "I don't know what you want me to do. At this point, you just need to-" _

Chloe ended the call abruptly before throwing her phone across the room. How could she have made such a foolish mistake? Now Luka was going to think she hated him!

Chloe flopped face down onto her huge bed. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She dreaded the thought of seeing Luka at school tomorrow. At least they weren't in the same class. Maybe she could get by without having to talk to him. He still hadn't texted back, but that didn't mean he hadn't seen her message.

Feeling miserable, Chloe curled in on herself. Maybe this was for the best. She may have friends now, but that didn't automatically make her a better person. She was always the mean girl, the bully. She didn't deserve her friends, and she certainly didn't deserve Luka. No matter how hard she tried, she would never fully recover from how emotionally damaged she'd been since her mother left. At least Marinette did something cute around her crush. What kind of guy wanted a girl who was a jerk every time she got overwhelmed? Certainly not a guy as sweet as Luka.

She'd fallen into the fantasy because her friends had always been so supportive, but she'd never have a relationship like theirs. She would never be as inherently good as Adrien and Marinette, or as kind and caring as Alya and Nino. They may all be heroes, but the truth of the matter was that while they had earned their miraculous, she had stolen hers.

A tear trickled down her face, and she quickly swiped it away. She was Chloe Bourgeois. She didn't cry. But the more she thought about it, the more the tears came, until they flowed down her face like rivers. 

Twenty minutes later, when she had recovered from her first good cry in ages, Chloe took a deep breath and decided that while she would apologize to Luka, she wouldn't push it. Some things just weren't meant to be.

***

But the next day, when she walked into the courtyard to find Lila Rossi flirting and touching and  _ all over  _ Luka, it became ten times harder to stick to the plan.

Alya came up behind her and sucked in a breath. "That little scheming fox! Who knows what lies she's feeding him?"

Chloe didn't really want to know. In fact, just the thought of it was making her sick.

Alya glanced at her, concern filling her dark eyes. "Chloe? Want me to go confront her? I've been wanting to for ages."

Chloe clenched her fists. As much as she would love to see Alya go off on Lila, she was trying to be a good person. Good people don't encourage unnecessary confrontations.

"It's okay. Let's just get to class."

Alya was visibly surprised by the refusal, but after a moment she shrugged. "Alright girl. C'mon, the others are already waiting for us upstairs."

Chloe headed to the stairs quickly, completely oblivious to the pained gaze of a blue-haired boy that followed her.

***

"So dude," Nino asked, grabbing a pastry. "You got any fashion shows coming up?"

Marinette had decided that the five of them needed some stress-free time together, so she had invited them all to the bakery after school ended. Chloe hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Luka, and if Lila's smirks were anything to go by, Chloe wouldn't get him alone for a while. The hangout at the bakery was meant to get her mind  _ off  _ the Luka problem, but she was having trouble focusing on anything else.

"Yeah! There's one in a couple weeks. Actually," Adrien began, turning to his girlfriend with a soppy smile. "I was wondering if you might want to attend, Princess. We could make a date night of it and go out for dinner after!"

Marinette beamed. "I'd love to, Kitty!"

Chloe stuffed her mouth with a pastry to hide her bitter expression. Before, it had been easy to laugh or gag at their sweet behavior, but now it just hurt.

"Ooh, so smooth Adrien," Alya teased. "If you're going for dinner, I suggest that new fancy Indian place near Adrien's house. Nino and I went there a week or so ago for a date, and the butter chicken is amazing!"

Nino grinned. "Maybe for you, babe. But I needed at least six glasses of water to get through the meal."

The four of them laughed, and Chloe felt a prick of resentment. It was like they didn't even notice she was there. And why would they? They already had their perfect partners and perfect date nights.

"Hmm, maybe we could make it a double date?"

"Yeah, for sure dude. But I'm ordering something less spicy this time."

Alya smiled at her boyfriend. "Aww babe, is it too much for you?"

_ Stupid cute couples. _

Nino scowled playfully as Adrien grinned. "Marinette is just like that! She can't handle spice at all. It's adorable."

Chloe shot up from her seat, suddenly overcome with unexplainable anger.

"OKAY! We get it! You four are disgustingly in love, and you have this amazing, wonderful connection that nobody else does. Fantastic! I'm so happy for you! I'm _so_ glad none of you will ever have to be alone! MUST BE NICE!"

The bakery was silent as Chloe's friends, or maybe ex-friends now, stared at her in shock. Mortified and angry, Chloe grabbed her stuff and stalked out of the shop, letting the door slam behind her.

***

Chloe leaned against the railing of her bedroom balcony, trying to focus on the cool breeze as shame and embarrassment coursed through her. Her...friends? _ex-friends? acquaintances_? had attempted to contact her all evening, but she had turned off her phone to avoid their texts and calls. She had done the one thing she swore she'd never do in public: seriously lose her cool.

To anyone else, maybe snapping like that would have been okay, normal even. With all the stress of the last couple weeks, it was only expected. But Chloe Bourgeois didn't snap. She couldn't afford to. As the only child of the mayor of Paris and a major fashion designer, Chloe had known early on to hide her emotions. But unlike Adrien, who had learned to lose the mask when he was away from his father, Chloe had kept hers up around everyone.

Chloe had never felt likeable. She'd never felt special or superior, no matter how much she acted like she was. Her parents, specifically her mother, had taught her that she was unimportant, and that the only way to get attention was to be something you weren't. And so Chloe had become a bully. Because sure, it meant the majority of her class hated her, but at least they never made fun of her and they all paid attention to her. And she had picked on Marinette right away because  _ yes,  _ she was jealous. She was  _ so jealous.  _ Marinette had friends, a loving family, and was every teacher's dream. And as much as Chloe hated her, she would do anything to be her.

Chloe could pretend she was some self-important, rich, pretentious mayor's daughter all she wanted, but deep down she was just a lost, lonely teenage girl.

She was a mess. She was rude when she wanted to be kind, and then it was too late. She was labeled as the school bully. Even Adrien, her oldest friend, hadn't wanted anything to do with her.

And then she had discovered the identities of Paris' superheroes. She'd found out Adrien's first, and she couldn't help but find it fitting. She'd been a little bitter that her old friend was getting the adoration and praise she craved, but she'd been pleased that he at least had a way to escape his father.

Then she'd discovered Ladybug's identity. For weeks, she was angry and hateful towards Marinette, because it  _ just wasn't fair. _ Why did Marinette get to be Ladybug? She got everything! It had taken a while before she realized how well the role fit her clumsy classmate.

And when Nino Lahiffe had figured it out, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. A few weeks later, Chloe had actual friends. Not people who were afraid of her, or people who fawned over her for her wealth or power. Actual _friends_ that teased her and wanted to hang out with her.

And now, because she couldn't control her jealousy, she had lost that. She truly had nobody to blame but herself.

"It's a nice night for stargazing, isn't it?"

Chloe stiffened at the familiar voice. "I thought you'd rather be enjoying such a nice night with your Princess." She winced at the bitter tone of her voice, turning to find a somber-looking Chat Noir perching on the side railing.

Chat leapt down to stand beside her.

"Chlo...I'm sorry. We haven't been very good friends lately."

Chloe sighed. There was no escaping this conversation. "No Adrien, you've all been amazing. I just...got worked up. I'm happy for all of you, really."

Chat snorted, raising an eyebrow as his lips curled into his signature smirk. "Really Chlo? I've known you for years. I know when you're lying, or hiding something." His smile dropped. "And I guess I meant that  _ I _ have been a terrible friend."

Chloe was quick to protest. "No Adrien, you-"

"Don't try to defend me. It was like I saw a whole new you when we started going to school together. You acted so differently in public." He leaned on the railing and looked out into the distance, regret lining his face. "I thought that maybe I never really knew you at all. But I was wrong. The  _ real you  _ is the person I've known since I was three. I'm sorry I never reached out. It...it should have been me including you, not Nino."

Chloe released a breath she hadn't known she was holding as her eyes watered with tears, ready to fall. "I-I...thank you," she said slowly, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that. I...I know you didn't abandon me, but when you started hanging out with them, it felt like you were leaving me." Her voice cracked. "Just like my mom."

Strong arms suddenly circled her, and he drew her closer, resting his chin on her head. It took a moment, but she finally relaxed into the embrace, leaning into him. The tears were already streaming down her face, and she had given up on stopping them.

"You're amazing," Chat mumbled. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The four of us love hanging out with you. And if Luka can't see how perfect you are, then that's his loss."

Chloe moved out of the hug and offered him a watery smile. Chat grinned back.

"I never liked that guy much anyway," he joked. "He showed far too much interest in Marinette."

That earned a snort from Chloe, which she immediately regretted. Snorting was always a messy mistake when you'd been crying.

"Shut up," she said teasingly.

Chat's face turned serious again. "For real Chloe, we're your friends and we're not going anywhere. You've changed so much lately, and I'm so proud of you. You're  _ not  _ a bad person. Marinette's a superhero, and she's committed major theft! We all have our flaws."

Chloe smiled softly. "I know. I really don't mind that you're all couples. It can just get a bit overwhelming sometimes."

Chat bumped her hip with his. "Don't worry, you're not going to be alone for long. We just need to find you a man."

A startled laugh burst out of the blonde's mouth. "I think Alya has rubbed off on you."

Chat started laughing too, and soon the two of them were cracking up, leaning on the balcony railing for support.

On a roof opposite the balcony, a spotted spandex-covered superhero smiled fondly to herself as she watched them, before using her yo-yo to swing off the roof and continue her patrol.

***

Chloe yawned as she entered the school building. After her heart-to-heart with Adrien last night, she was feeling loads better and she was ready to get over Luka. But even though she was prepared to move on, she still owed him an apology. She had been terribly rude to him, and he had never responded to that accidental text.

Thanks to her resources (aka Marinette's stalking skills) she knew that Luka came to school early on Fridays to use the music room. She planned to meet him there, hopefully without a certain brunette liar, and apologize. The others had offered to join her, but she felt like she needed to do this alone.

She was only one hall away from the music classroom, steeling her nerves and practicing her apology in her head, when a disgustingly sweet voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Chloe Bourgeois. What could you possibly be doing at school at this hour?"

Chloe grit her teeth, turning slowly. "Lila," she greeted. "I could ask you the same thing."

Lila seemed to ignore her words, grinning wickedly. "I sure hope you're not here to talk to Luka. I'm pretty sure you're the last person he wants to see right now."

Chloe stiffened. "That's none of your business. You have no idea-"

"Oh, I know exactly what happened. I know all about your rude remarks and your little text message." Lila tilted her head, frowning. "And here I thought you were turning over a new leaf."

Chloe took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep her anger at bay. "Why do you care? Why are you doing this?"

Lila's facade instantly crumbled as she scowled unattractively. "Really Chloe, you can't figure it out? You know, I actually used to respect you. We were pretty similar."

"I am  _ nothing _ like you," Chloe hissed, wishing she had brought her friends along.

Lila laughed harshly. "Oh, but you were. We both had high ambitions, and we'd do whatever it took to achieve them, even if it meant hurting people." Her expression soured. "And then you changed. You acted all...nice! You tricked everyone, and suddenly  _ I  _ was the only bad guy."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I changed for the better. And now I have friends and am actually enjoying life."

"Is that so? Because you seemed pretty miserable yesterday. You can pretend all you want, but you'll always be a mean girl. The situation with Luka proves that."

Chloe was about to respond, to insist that Lila was  _ wrong, _ when a third voice interrupted them.

"Chloe?"

Luka's gaze hovered between them questioningly as Lila smiled sweetly.

"Luka! I was just telling Chloe here that you really don't want-"

"Did you need something Chloe?" Luka asked, gaze fixed on her intently.

Chloe's mind raced as she tried to come up with something to say. She'd had a whole apology planned, and now she was coming up blank. She didn't want it to be like this. Not in the middle of a hallway with Lila watching.

"No," she lied, before turning and walking away as quickly as she could, trying to ignore the two sets of eyes burning into her from behind.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later, when her friends arrived, that she felt like she could breathe again. Nino handed her a drink, a coffee this time, and they all gave her huge hugs and comforting words. To her relief, they didn't ask what had happened with Luka.

When she settled down in her seat as the last few students trickled in, she summoned her courage, opened her phone and sent a quick message before she could chicken out.

**_Direct Message: Chloe Bourgeois > Luka Couffaine_ **

**Chloe Bourgeois** _ I'm sorry _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This series started out as crack fics, and now it's all emotional and angsty. Oh well. Thanks for reading, and please comment or give kudos. Reading your comments make my day and make me write faster! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teens have one last movie night, and things are finally resolved. Oh, and there's Indian food, because, why not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is finally here! Sorry if Luka is a little OC, I havent watched MLB in a while so I don't actually know what he's really like. Oh well, my world my rules. Enjoy! :)

"For the hundredth time Alya,  _ no  _ you cannot post an article about Ladybug's secret leather obsession!"

Chloe tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth to hide her smile at Marinette's exasperated tone. The five of them were sprawled out in the movie room of her father's hotel, snacks spread around them. They hadn't actually started watching anything yet. Alya insisted that they needed to help her come up with an article topic for the Ladyblog first.

"I don't know why you're so against it!" Alya shot back. "It's not like anyone but us will know it's  _ you. _ "

Marinette scowled from where she was sitting, practically in Adrien's lap. "I don't need civilians asking about my 'leather kink' while I'm trying to fight akumas."

Nino nodded. "She brings up a fair point. Chat Noir in a leather suit is obviously enough of a distraction." The four of them snickered as Marinette blushed slightly. 

"Okay, fine. But I need to come up with something! I haven't posted all week."

Nino rolled his eyes. "What a tragedy," he muttered. "I'm sure your followers are terrified for your well being."

"I heard that!" Alya snapped.

"I've got it!" Adrien exclaimed suddenly. "You should post an add for a boyfriend." When the others started at him strangely, he rushed to clarify. "For Chloe, I mean! We can put qualifications on the website and hold interviews!"

"Brilliant!" Marinette cheered, offering Chloe a grin. Chloe rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to check her phone for the millionth time in the last day or two. A  _ certain someone _ who she had texted an apology to had yet to respond. She hadn't heard from him all week. 

Chloe pushed thoughts of  _ him  _ from her mind and plastered a smirk on her face. "Please, I'm pretty sure there's nobody in Paris who could meet my expectations."

A couple of her friends laughed, but Nino seemed dangerously thoughtful.

"Hmm," he said. "What about Nathaniel?"

Chloe winced. "Too shy."

"How about Max?" Marinette offered.

"Too nerdy." Adrien shot her a look at that. "What?" she asked. "I'm not being mean! He's just too much of a nerd for me!"

"Kim?" Alya asked.

Chloe cringed at the memory of her last romantic encounter with Kim, last Valentine's day. "I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. Plus, he's too athletic. And I'm pretty sure there's something between him and Alix."

The boys seemed surprised at that, but Alya and Marinette nodded knowingly.

"Wow," Adrien said. "I guess you really are too picky."

"Oh well!" Alya cried, grinning widely. "Guess you're just stuck with us!" And with that, Alya launched herself from her position beside Nino to right next to Chloe. Before Chloe could protest, her other three friends followed suit, and soon she was buried in a tangle of limbs.

"Get. Off!" she exclaimed, to no avail. She tried to climb out from under the pile, but only succeeded in hitting someone's face.

"Ow Chloe, that was my eye!"

"Well maybe if you hadn't jumped on me-"

"Nino you're stepping on my arm!"

"Ouch! Adrien you just elbowed me in the stomach!"

"Oops!"

"Sorry!"

" _ Move!" _

"Uh, are you guys okay?"

The five teenagers froze at the new voice, and then frantically tried to untangle themselves. Two minutes, and several hurt fingers and toes later, Chloe was finally free. She glared at her friends before turning to see which one of the hotel staff had interrupted. She nearly tripped on a package of cookies when she realized that it was not some staff member, but one Luka Couffaine.

"Er...am I interrupting? I am, aren't I? I just...well Nino said I should come by, and I brought snacks." He lifted up what appeared to be a bag of chips. "But I'll just go. I didn't mean to intrude-"

"Nonsense!" Nino said, far too loud. "We were actually just waiting for you! I'm glad you could make it."

A quick scan of her friend's faces confirmed Chloe's original thought. Nino had encouraged Luka to come, and he was the only one who knew Luka was coming. Oh, he was so dead.

Luka seemed slightly comforted by Nino's words, and he placed his chips near some other food before gingerly sitting in one of the movie theater chairs.  An awkward silence descended over the group for a few moments before Marinette broke it, a way-too-wide grin on her face.

"So Luka! While we were waiting, we've been trying to help Alya come up with an article idea. Do you have any suggestions?"

“Oh, um. Well I’ve always wondered when you were going to do an article about Queen Bee,” Luka said softly. Chloe’s head shot up in surprise, and their eyes met for a brief moment before she quickly looked away, hoping she wasn’t blushing. Luka wanted Alya to post an article about  _ her? _

Alya grinned, looking pleased, and nodded emphatically. “Yes, that’s genius! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.” She turned to Chloe. “What do you say, Queen Bee? Can I get an interview?”

Chloe rolled her eyes at her friend’s tone, trying to ignore everyone’s burning gaze. “Sure, as long as we actually watch a movie first.”

The others agreed, and Chloe plopped down as far as she could from Luka. She had never felt so awkward. He didn’t seem that upset, but why else would he have ignored her text? Should she have greeted him when he arrived? Was he just going to pretend like nothing had happened?

Apparently he was. Luka remained quiet for the majority of the evening, grinning slightly while Nino and Alya argued over what movie to watch ( _ “Alya we are not watching The Princess Bride! Not again!” “Shut up Nino. Pretending you don’t love that movie doesn’t make you any more of a man!”)  _ and he reacted appropriately throughout the film (which ended up being The Princess Bride), but he didn’t say anything. Conversely, everyone else was rather loud.

Alya snorted as Westley went rolling down the hill half-way into the movie. “Ha, when you accidentally shove your bae off a hilltop”.

Nino rolled his eyes, clearly still trying to pretend like he hated the movie. Nobody was fooled. “That’s not even relatable. Literally nobody else has done that.”

Adrien and Marinette shared a glance, and Chloe smirked. “More like when you accidentally fling your bae off a building with their only weapon while trying to fight a super villain.” Her friends grinned or laughed, but then she spotted Luka’s confused look and panicked.

“Shut up guys!” Adrien said, quick to save the day. “We’re missing the best part.”

The movie went on, with various interruptions, but Chloe couldn’t help but feel nervous. Was Luka going to sleep over? They had plenty of rooms at the hotel, but she certainly hadn’t been expecting him. Perhaps this was her chance to finally speak to him alone. But then again, maybe she should take cues from his current behavior and pretend the whole situation had never happened.

Chloe was so caught up in her thoughts that she nearly missed the ending of the movie. She was brought back to earth when she heard a sniffle. To her surprise, the noise had come from Nino. And although it was pretty dark in the theater, his eyes were definitely glistening.

“Nino, are you  _ crying _ ?” she asked in disbelief.

Nino started visibly at her voice, immediately grabbing a nearby blanket and covering his face with it. “No!” he cried defensively, the response muffled by the cloth.

Alya seemed delighted, unsurprisingly, and she wrestled the blanket away from her boyfriend. The others waited in anticipation as she got a good look at his face. 

“Ah ha!” Alya exclaimed triumphantly. “You are crying!”

Nino scowled before hiding his face in his hands as the teenagers laughed. “What?” he mumbled. “It’s a sweet ending.”

Adrien snickered at that, but Alya’s grin turned soppy.

“Aww, babe! You’re so cute!” With that, Alya jumped onto her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck. Nino pulled a face, but it was clear that he didn’t really mind. Adrien and Marinette watched fondly, Adrien’s head in Marinette’s lap as she ran her fingers through his hair.

A familiar ache grew inside Chloe’s chest, and she fought the urge to look at Luka. She had to snap out of it. She didn’t  _ need  _ a boyfriend to call her cute and smother her with physical affection. She was  _ fine. _

***

Twenty minutes later, as the six teenagers prepared for bed, Chloe was decidedly  _ not fine.  _ They had all changed into their pajamas, which for Luka seemed to consist of a way-too-tight undershirt and a pair of way-too-loose sweatpants. Chloe was really trying her hardest not to stare.

Normally on movie nights, the teens would stay up for hours just talking, but everything seemed stilted with Luka around. Chloe hated it. She knew it was because of her. Luka had been slowly fitting into the group, warming up to everyone and engaging in their friendly banter, but then she had ruined it all with her awkwardness and that one mistake. Now they all felt the need to tread lightly when talking around him, and you could only talk about mundane, surface level topics for so long.

And maybe Chloe was being paranoid, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Luka was trying to get her alone. When Marinette had yawned and suggested they get to sleep, and Chloe said she’d clean up the mess they’d made, Luka had instantly volunteered to stay and help her. Chloe had declined, saying she could do it just fine alone, but Luka had not stopped trying. He offered to help her carry toiletries, go with her to find sheets and accompany her on her trip to the kitchen to put in the order for the next day’s breakfast. Chloe managed to get out of each offer with admittedly poor excuse. She wasn’t stupid (most of the time). She knew that if he wanted to speak with her alone, it couldn’t be something good. He was too nice of a guy to say something in front of her friends, so obviously he had only come tonight to speak to her privately.

Nino and Adrien shared a room, Luka slept in his own across the hall, and the three girls shared a room next door. It was odd to sleep somewhere in the hotel other than her own room, but it was certainly more enjoyable to do so with friends. Once the boys had cleared out and the door was closed, Chloe felt like she could finally relax.

“Alya, did you know Luka was coming?” Marinette asked as soon as the three of them were alone, releasing Tikki from her purse.

Alya shook her head, eyes focused on the computer in her lap. She had grabbed her laptop to start planning the Queen Bee article as soon as they’d finished the movie. “No, Nino didn’t tell me.”

Chloe scowled as she brushed her hair. “Ugh, he should have told me. Just wait, I’ll get him back.”

Marinette laughed. “I’m sure you will. Come on, it wasn’t that bad.” Chloe stared at her, one eyebrow raised, and Marinette winced. “Okay, so maybe it was kind of bad.”

Chloe shut her eyes in annoyance as her brush caught on a particularly knotted area of her hair. “Is it just me, or was Luka trying to get me alone today?”

“I noticed that too!” Alya and Marinette chimed at almost the same time, turning to grin at each other afterwards. Chloe rolled her eyes good-naturedly at their antics.

“But you seemed very against it,” Alya said, fingers somehow still typing away at lightning-fast speeds. “I thought you wanted to talk to him privately.”

Chloe sighed. “Well, I did. But I’m pretty sure whatever he’s going to say won’t be enjoyable. I’d rather just prevent it for as long as possible.”

“Have you considered that what he has to say may not be negative?” a high-pitched, soothing voice asked. Chloe had almost forgotten that Tikki was in the room. She turned to the kwami, head tilting in confusion as she set down her brush. Marinette’s kwami didn’t speak to them that often, but her words were always far more wise than Plagg’s (which usually had to do with cheese or were insults).

“What do you mean?”

Tikki floated closer. “You’re automatically assuming that Luka has something bad to say to you. But would he really spend the night with you and your friends if he disliked you? Maybe this is just a misunderstanding.”

Chloe frowned. “But then why would he ignore my apology text?”

The little kwami shrugged. “Maybe he prefers to talk about in person. Luka doesn’t seem like the kind of person to discuss important things over text.”

The more she thought about it, the more she had to agree with Tikki. Luka did seem like a guy who preferred face-to-face conversation. He barely texted in their group chat, after all.

Chloe hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I just don’t want to think about it right now.”

Alya peeked at her over the top of her laptop. “I’ve got the perfect distraction for you! Tell me, Queen Bee, where did your inspiration to become a superhero come from?”

Marinette giggled, and Chloe cracked a smile. “Well, it all started when a clumsy girl covered in spots and a cat dude with a terrible sense of humor saved me from being crushed by a walking rock monster…”

***

The next morning, Chloe was up before anyone else. She generally always got up before her friends, as she was normally expected to be up at 5:00 am sharp every day, as a part of her father’s rigid schedule. She managed to sleep until 7:00 am on the weekends, but her friends usually slept in past eight. She always brought a book or magazine along when she stayed the night, because she knew she’d have at least an hour to herself on Saturday morning. Since they were at her house this time, she decided she would head down to the kitchen for some morning coffee.

The night before, Alya had attempted to get her interview questions answered, but the conversation had quickly shifted into gossip, the three girls chatting late into the night with the Ladyblog article forgotten. When Alya had given up on completing the post, sometime around midnight, she had read off a few questions she wanted Chloe to think about, and insisted that they finish the interview by the end of the weekend. Chloe had written the questions down, and she read through them as she walked through the hotel halls.

_ What is your favorite part of being Queen Bee? _

Was it cliche to say that she loved the chance to be herself and just be free? Well whatever, that’s how she felt.

_ How does it feel to have Ladybug’s trust? _

Amazing. Having her idol (who was secretly one of her closest friends) finally trust her with a Miraculous had been one of the best feelings in the world.

_ How has possessing a Miraculous changed you? _

Chloe smiled at that one. In all honesty, it wasn't the Miraculous that had changed her. It was the other Miraculous holders. It was Nino, Alya, Marinette and Adrien who were helping to shape her into a better person.

_ I hear you’re currently looking for a significant other. How would you describe your perfect boyfriend? _

Chloe outright snorted at that. Alya was far too mischievous for her own good. Just like Nino. They really were a sickeningly perfect couple. Just like Adrien and Marinette. Just like Chloe and-

“Is something funny?”

Chloe jumped in surprise, lowering her paper to find the last person she wanted to see standing in front of her. Luka. Nobody should be allowed to look like  _ that _ in the morning. Sleep ruffled hair, half-lidded eyes. He was an absolute dream.

“Um, Chloe?”

Chloe snapped to attention. “What?” she asked, far too sharply.

Luka shrunk away at her tone, his easy smile disappearing, and Chloe inwardly cursed herself. 

“Nothing, nothing, I was just saying...hi I guess? But we really need to talk.”

Chloe considered running away and never looking back. But instead, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “About what?”

Luka seemed to get more uncomfortable with every second that passed. “Well, you know, about the text messages and the awkwardness-”

“Yeah, yeah, well let’s make it quick, because I’ve got to go check on breakfast.” That was a lie, Chloe’s had already made all the preparations. But she was a  _ coward. _

“Okay, that’s fine. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

Chloe blinked once, then twice in surprise. That had  _ not  _ been what she was expecting. “You’re...what?”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. Look, I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable. I understand that those four are your friends, and you already have a group dynamic. By coming into the group, I messed that up. And I’m sorry.”

At the sight of his apologetic face, Chloe finally managed to stop gaping and actually speak words. “ _ What?  _ You don’t have to apologize! This isn’t your fault. I’m the one who screwed up and was rude.”

Luka sighed. “It’s okay, I understand that you don’t feel comfortable around me, especially with the way I...feel about you.”

The last part was said so quietly that she almost didn’t hear it, but it only made her more confused. What one earth was going on here? Could Tikki be right? Was this all one big misunderstanding?

“What do you mean, the way you feel about me?”

This was the first time she had seen him embarrassed or bashful, and she honestly wished the situation wasn’t so bizarre, so she could truly enjoy it. “I mean, it’s no secret that I like you. That’s why Marinette has been so eager to invite me places with you all, and why they tried to leave us alone so much. She seemed to think it would get us together. But I understand that you don’t feel the same way. It’s alright, the heart wants what the-”

“I’m an idiot!” Chloe interrupted. Luka stared at her strangely, but she forged ahead. “I do this weird thing where I’m mean to the people I have feelings for.”

Luka seemed to consider that for a moment, before a tentative smile spread across his face. “So, does that mean-”

“I really, really like you. And I hope your whole speech earlier meant that you feel the same way, because otherwise this is going to be awkward.”

Luka’s small smile exploded into a bright grin, and Chloe suddenly felt slightly dazed. “No Chloe, for the first time, I don’t think this will be awkward at all.”

And then he leaned in and did  _ The Thing  _ that all the fairy tales end with, and Chloe definitely  _ didn’t  _ feel like she was flying or like her heart was bursting or like her skin was tingling, because that would be  _ ridiculous _ .

(And if Chloe and Luka were an hour late to breakfast, well then that was nobody’s business but theirs.)

***

Nino gulped down the last of his glass of water, slamming it down on the table with a proud grin. 

Alya snorted. “Babe, that’s your fifth glass.”

“And we’re only halfway through the meal,” Luka added with a grin, squeezing Chloe’s hand. Chloe squeezed back, feeling giddy.

“Lahiffe just can’t take the heat,” she teased.

“Hey now!” Marinette, who had drank at least three or four glasses, said indignantly. “Not everyone can handle it.”

Adrien smirked at his girlfriend. “Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s just you two.”

“Oh, oh, our masala dosa is here!” Alya exclaimed eagerly. Sure enough, a plate laden with a large dosa was soon placed on their table. Adrien reached for it quickly, breaking off a piece and stuffing it into his mouth.

“Adrien!” Alya shrieked. “I wanted to take a picture for the blog.”

“Ooops,” Adrien mumbled, mouth still full.

Chloe leaned into her boyfriend - her  _ boyfriend -  _ and whispered in his ear. 

“They’re a bunch of idiots.”

Luka smiled down at her fondly. “But you love them.”

“Hmm...maybe.”

“Just like you love me.”

Chloe forced down the blush that only Luka could cause. “I need some dosa.”

“Don’t try to change the subject!” Luka teased. “You loooove me!”

Chloe hid a smile. “I would never have agreed to date you if I knew you’d be this insufferable.”

“Say it.”

“Say what?”

“You know.”

Chloe huffed. “Fine. I love you.”

Luka’s smirk turned soft. “And I love you,” he muttered, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Ugh! Gross!” Nino said suddenly. 

“Don’t even try it, Lahiffe,” Chloe scolded. “If I had to sit through you four being gross for months, you can deal with this.”

Nino pouted. “There’s no way we were that bad.”

Chloe laughed. “No, you were worse.”

Adrien cracked a smile. “Okay, okay, she’s got us there. No more complaints.”

Chloe smirked triumphantly. “Good. And just you you guys know, we’re definitely the cutest couple.”

Her statement was met with several protests, but Chloe didn’t really care. Not when she was surrounded by the best friends and boyfriend she could ever ask for. She had never thought she needed them, these four ridiculous superheroes and this smooth musician, but they had turned her whole world upside down. And truthfully, she couldn’t complain. She didn’t need to be superior to others or rich and famous. Right now, all she needed was to be a good friend and an extraordinary girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done! The Miraculous Extraordinaires series is officially (finally) finished. I honestly never thought my first fic would take me so far, but here we are. I love hearing feedback from you guys, so please leave comments and kudos! I might write some one-shots with these dorks, so make sure you subscribe to the series so you don't miss those! Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe! ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! If you like my writing, pls check out my other fics, especially my ongoing story Two Sides of the Same Shell. It's an Enemies to Lovers fic focused on DjWifi, but there's definitely some Adrienette in there too. Thanks for reading, leave kudos and comments! Stay safe!


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